Apple's rumored tablet to be named iSlate?

Some slick domain name and trademark sleuthing from MacRumors and TechCrunch uncovered information about several islate-containing domains and the companion trademark “ISLATE” that may point to Apple as the company behind this mark. It all began with MacRumors which uncovered information about the domain islate.com, a TLD that passed through several hands until 2007 where it landed with the registrar MarkMonitor, a well-known registrar that handles and hides domain registrations for large companies including Apple. Close inspection of the domain name history reveals a brief lapse in late 2007 which exposed Apple as the actual owner of the domain. A look at other TLDs reveals that MarkMonitor also registered islate.co.uk, islate.biz, islate.info, islate.jp and islate.cn in the month of November 2006. Other country designations such as, islate.de and islate.fr, don’t fit into the puzzle as they are registered to known companies with islate.de being registered to a Innovative Dynamics GmbH and islate.fr being registered to the IP property law firm of Wilson & Bertherlot. The mystery deepens when one takes a look at the “ISLATE” trademark information uncovered by TechCrunch, though. Hit the jump to read on.

Moving away from the domain information and looking at the trademark information, an unknown Delaware company called Slate Computing filed a trademark the word ISLATE on November 21, 2006 in both the US and the EU. Listed on the EU application was the legal representative Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge, a law firm with a history of working with Apple. Also curious is the priority company listed on the EU application — Trinidad & Tobago, a country used by Apple in other EU trademarks applications. Slate Computing seemingly does not appear to exist online or in real life but the extensive business description provided on the trademark application fits Apple to a tee, leading TechCrunch to hypothesize that the mysterious company is a shell for Apple. Piecing everything together, Apple, either through MarkMonitor or a shell company called Slate Computing, may have registered a series of iSlate TLDs and filed a trademark for “ISLATE” in both the EU and the US. BGR readers with an opinion chime in and let us know what you think — is Apple behind all this activity surround the name “islate”? Is iSlate really destined to be the name of the rumored tablet? We’re not feeling the name one way or another.

Why do BGR’s posts always end in a question mark?? Less speculation and more investigation!

pheer6224

I’m confused, why do people really want an apple tablet?

Paul

They don’t.

Oxyrt

Shit. Give it to me now!

darkprince

Ok, you’re a moron. You just got it.

Constable Odo

>I’m confused, why do people really want an apple >tablet?

To stand out from the rest of the crowd whose feet are still rooted in the 20th century. You know, like those that believed there wasn’t a need for the automobile, the telephone, TV or personal computers. It’s weird how times progress even with human resistance to new ideas.

Jdizzle

The same reason some stupid pathetic piece of loser trash would vote for Obamer and support the rape of our healthcare system.

Sonya

Seriously? It’s Christmas cut it out at least for today. This is about a tablet not the presidential election.

StevenGlansburg

in his defense… the senate did vote for that crap on Christmas eve so that no one would be thinking about it…

Gary Gogetter

Tru dat Jdizzle. I guess the 1st ammendment is banned on Christmas. Ooops, I don’t want to give Odumbo and his Chicago flunkies in the white house get any ideas.

Wow. Will apple shut the e book reader/tablet game down? We shall see.

jj

Wow. An awful lot of secret messing around to disguise a dreadful name for the G4 Cube of its time.

Big D

Islate is a terrible name. Why not just call it the itablet? Apple has enough money to buy the name.

Diabl0

Hopefully the iSlate a.k.a unknown apple tablet will really have some amazing features (as said) to make it unique than the average joe tabs users had before. See the video and details on how it all began: http://bit.ly/new-apple-tablet-best-or-worst

For sure this release won’t be phenomenal as the iPod, but hey! at least apple didn’t name this gadget as iPad, don’t they? :D

topcee

Wooo hoo!!! Go universal healthcare!!!

http://(null) justfinethanku

I’m just waiting for next year when all the other companies come out with “islate killers” LMAO!!!!

Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

http://(null) justfinethanku

can you imagine how horrible the country would be if the government ran all of the cell phone companies and made absolute certain everyone had the same phone?

universal cell phone coverage!! ftw!!!

Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

darkprince

It would suck – it would be an iPhone. Only the gov’t could wreak such havoc – only senators and Cabinet members would get Blackberrys. The rest of us would go back to land lines at home to make sure we didn’t drop calls!!!

“I have seen some very compelling mock-ups and animations of a hybrid OS for the Apple Tablet, and they have all come from one person! Keep in mind, I am now talking about mock-ups of the Operation System (OS) for the Apple Tablet, not the hardware device itself. I am not even sure of this person’s name, but I know he is out of Atlanta and has created a series of 7 videos of his conceptual “iSlate” touchscreen computing tablet and its theoretical Operation System. This guy’s body of work is very impressive and his implementation of a hybrid, yet fully-functional, touchscreen OS is wonderful.

To quote this person’s blog about his “iSlate” concept, “Like many people, I am waiting for a fully functional Multi-Touch computer. Over the past year I’ve been just a little obsessed with the topic. It Started when I was sitting in my BioChem class and realized how the current keyboard and mouse interface limited my ability to effectively use my MacBook Pro in class. After a month or so of dreaming about how a Multi-Touch computer would work I realized how complex it would be. To make Multi-Touch computer really work you have to completely abandon the current keyboard and mouse paradigm. You also have to deal with the complexities of interacting with a computer where every square mm is a source of input. So, over the year I developed a workable interface concept and made a few videos and concept art to show it off.”

The videos that this person created showing the conceptualization of this theoretical Operating System for an Apple multi-touchscreen computing device are so cool I had to include a couple in this article…”

Laura

Say it ain’t so! Why can’t it just be iTablet?

ArseneKarl

Point to the haters:

I know you are out there and you are somewhat justified.

I am too annoyed by the constant iTablet related quasi-news.

But whether you like it or not, the iTablet is happening, and much like the iPhone, it will be a much discussed topic for years to come.

It became quite apparent when several news outcomes simultaneously reported on this very subject 23rd December, the whole thing is yet another well orchestrated PR campaign and to hate is to participate.

Just leave it alone, refuse to click.

It’s hard, I know, chances are I will be buying one no matter what, even I have no idea what I’m gonna do with it.

Apple wins, Apple always wins.

Mrwirez

iSlate or Is Late? Been hearing this forever..

Mrwirez

What is with the “i” anyway? Why not just The Apple Tablet? How about an AppLett..or MacLett or The MacTabb something -anything.. I am all i’ed out.

eazid

Let’s see this when it is out…

Prophet

On the smartphone side of the business, if Apple does once again report good numbers, it’ll be one of the few in that industry. Despite constant attempts by rival handset makers to produce the “iPhone killer,” Apple’s main competitors in the smartphone world have struggled during the most recent quarter–Nokia, Palm, and Research In Motion each posting disappointing results.

Piper Jaffray is estimating that Apple sold 7.5 million iPhones. Munster said inventory checks showed that demand for the iPhone 3GS is “outstripping supply,” which means that iPhone sales for the next several quarters should be fairly steady. We should also get an update on the number of countries and carriers that have the latest iPhone model. Apple had said in July that it was supposed to be in 80 countries by the end of the summer.

darkprince

When you guys refer to “haters”, you immediately think that said “haters” are hating Apple. Sorry to disappoint you, but IT JUST AIN’T SO!

The true hatred is directed not at Cupertino, but at the seemingly countless hoard of zombies whom live and die for all things Manzanilla. I’ve got no qualms with brand loyalty, but some of you guys are more than just a little frightening when the “A” word comes up. I don’t know how else to say this, but if Apple were to go belly up (Yeah, I know, they won’t, but follow the thought, please) I’m afraid what would become of some of you.

Alex

what’s funny is that you troll these Apple related posts and bully people for liking Apple products….

while you march with the hoard of zombies that hate Apple for absolutely insane reasons…where you have stated that ease of use is dumbing down a device….btw, if Apple goes belly-up where would you spend your Saturday nights hyper-criticizing folks who really just want you to go away and get a life…..